Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Search

On December 21, 2023, Dedrick Sirmans pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia to knowingly operating an unregistered aircraft to facilitate a controlled substance offense.
 
The indictment alleged that, in September 2020, Sirmans attempted to fly an unregistered unmanned aircraft system weighing over .55 lbs. into Macon State Prison to distribute a controlled substance.
 
Library Item
01.09.2024
On December 20, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York sentenced general contractor Man O'Trees (MOT) to a $200,000 fine and a $400 court assessment. MOT previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. According to the information, between approximately May 2009 and 2013, MOT conspired with others to defraud DOT, New York State DOT, and the City of Niagara Falls, New York—among other governmental entities—to obtain money and property by means of false and fraudulent pretenses.
Library Item
01.09.2024
On December 7, 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) debarred Spares, Inc., a machine shop located in Florence, Oregon, from participating in Federal non-procurement and procurement transactions for a period of 3 years.
 
On July 19, 2023, Spares was sentenced to 5 years of probation, an $8,500 fine, a $400 special assessment, and a forfeiture of $945,165.89 less the value of tools and equipment used to manufacture aircraft parts forfeited by Spares following an earlier guilty plea to one count of aircraft parts fraud.
 
Library Item
01.09.2024
On December 15, 2023, Morgan J. Wiljanen, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky to an information charging Wiljanen with operating an air common carrier while under the influence of alcohol. According to the information, on or around March 21, 2023, Wiljanen, a former helicopter pilot for Air Evac EMS, Inc., was under the influence of alcohol while piloting Air Evac Flight 79, an air ambulance helicopter operated by the company, from Corbin, Kentucky, to Richmond, Kentucky.
Library Item
01.05.2024
On December 12, 2023, a federal jury convicted former Massachusetts State Police (MSP) Lieutenant Daniel J. Griffin and former MSP Sergeant William W. Robertson of conspiracy, Federal programs fraud, and wire fraud in connection with an overtime scheme dating back to 2015. Prior to trial, on November 27, 2023, Griffin pleaded guilty to 4 additional counts of wire fraud and 11 counts of filing false tax returns.
 
Library Item
01.05.2024
On December 11, 2023, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York convicted Kristy Mak and Andre Prince of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a fraudulent moving company scheme.
 
Library Item
01.05.2024
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) maintains a hotline for receiving allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement affecting U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) programs or operations. OIG received a hotline complaint alleging a hostile work environment in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Acquisition and Fiscal Law Division (AGC-500) that could impact the division’s ability to effectively conduct its mission. The division provides legal advice regarding all aspects of contract formation and administration.
Library Item
01.04.2024
On November 22, 2023, Joseph Cipolla pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to tax evasion, wire fraud, and mail fraud violations related to a fraud scheme. Cipolla was affiliated with multiple businesses, including Six North Aviation and Dupage Aviation. Through these businesses, Cipolla purchased and resold motor vehicles and aircraft, brokered the sale of an airplane, and engaged in dry leasing of an aircraft.
Library Item
01.03.2024
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides $20 billion over 5 years for two grant programs—Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) and Airport Terminal Program (ATP)—to address aging aviation infrastructure. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is using its well-established Airport Improvement Program (AIP) policies and procedures, which includes the Agency’s risk-based approach to grant oversight, to administer both grant programs.
Library Item
12.21.2023
In 2022, there were nearly 43,000 motor vehicle traffic fatalities—a 14.2 percent surge since 2017. To help prevent and minimize crashes and their effects on roads, the Department of Transportation (DOT) issued its National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) in January 2022. The NRSS includes priority actions in pursuit of five core safety objectives.
Library Item
12.20.2023